Lady Gaga reveals family found out during Oscars performance about sexual abuse

The singer said they were "proud" of her following her performance at the awards ceremony
'Ashamed': Lady Gaga said she couldn't bring herself to tell relatives of her sexual abuse
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty
Emma Powell2 March 2016
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Lady Gaga has revealed that prior to her Oscars performance certain members of her family did not know she had been a victim of sexual abuse.

The singer – real name Stefani Germanotta – said she was “too ashamed” and “too afraid” to tell relatives including her grandmother and aunt.

But she told fans that her family felt “proud” after seeing her perform Til It Happens to You from the documentary, The Hunting Ground, at Sunday night’s ceremony.

Alongside an Instagram of her grandmother and aunt, she posted: “My grandmother (in the middle) and my Aunt Sheri (on the right) both called me the day after the Oscars because I never told them I was a survivor. I was too ashamed. Too afraid. And it took me a long time to even admit it to myself because I'm Catholic and I knew it was evil but I thought it was my fault. I thought it was my fault for ten years.

“The morning after the Oscars when I talked to my grandmother Ronnie, with tears in her eyes I could hear them welling through the phone she said to me ‘My darling granddaughter, I've never been more proud of you than I am today’.”

The singer finished by encouraging fans to speak up if they have experienced similar ordeals.

“Something I have kept a secret for so long that I was more ashamed of than anything-- became the thing the women in my life were the most proud of,” she continued. “And not just any women, the ones I look up to the most. #BeBrave #speakup #tilithappenstoyou.”

Gaga fans were left angered on Sunday after the singer failed to pick up the Academy Award for Best Original Song which went to Sam Smith for Writing's On The Wall.

One fan said they were "gobsmacked" by the Academy's decision to not honour a ballad that raised awareness for victims of sexual abuse.

The Oscars 2016

1/37

Follow @StandardShowbiz for more entertainment news.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in